New Delhi, Nov 10 (IANS) Marnus Labuschagne has opened up on his Test omission for the second time in over a year and said he has no doubt he will be back in the national Test team, adding that his “path back to the Australian team will work itself out.”
Labuschagne was dropped from the Test team for the second time in the space of 17 months when selection chair George Bailey confirmed the incumbent No. 3 will not hold his place for Australia’s series opener against New Zealand from December 9 in Perth.
“You’re pretty aware as a cricketer … you use this as an opportunity to step back from the scrutiny, and being under the pump for probably two years now,” Labuschagne told the media on Tuesday, as quoted by cricket.com.au.
Labuschagne’s omission came as a result of his lean run of form. His extended run of below-par form stretches back to the 2023 Ashes – the last series in which he scored a century – and since being dropped for Australia’s three-Test series against West Indies in the Caribbean last year, he has averaged 23.66 in 10 Tests, with two fifties from 19 innings.
The 32-year-old has not registered a half-century in his last 16 innings, with his latest outings yielding 36 runs at an average of 12 against Bangladesh and 131 at 21.83 in South Africa, where he scored 0 and 4, having not reached 40 in the first two Tests.
The right-hander will return to domestic cricket and captain Queensland, with the next Sheffield Shield round beginning on Wednesday.
“You take this opportunity to come back and play for Queensland, enjoy your time here and find ways to win games for Queensland. Score runs, enjoy the games, and I think my path back to the Australian team will work itself out.
“I’ve done it before, and I’ve got no doubt I will be back there. When? Who knows, but that’s the aspiration and desire. Right now, my feet are firmly fixed here with Queensland and doing whatever I can as a captain, batter, in the field and with the ball to help us win games,” he added.
Labuschagne’s axing leaves the door ajar for one of Kurtis Patterson, Nathan McSweeney, Sam Konstas or Bulls teammate Jack Clayton to take his place against the Kiwis.
Smith’s return to the side will likely be the first piece of the puzzle after he missed the decider in Cape Town with a neck injury when the selectors pick the Test squad to take on the New Zealand at the end of the next round of Sheffield Shield.
–IANS
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